The Avox Games
by R.J Harrow
Summary: My name is Cyrus. I have no memory of anything else. I'm out in an open field with others, some adults and some teens. I think we're supposed to kill each other. And there's deadly mosquitoes outside. I'm mute because of my missing tongue. But I'm not dead. Not yet...
1. Let the Death Games Begin

_Where am I? What am I doing? And why is someone counting down? _

Around me are others, sharing the same look of bewilderment. I look up at the sky. We are out in the open. But why do I have this feeling of being watched? I want to talk but I _can't. _My tongue is completely numb; I have no control over it. I can't even feel probe my cheek with it. I reach a finger in my mouth and feel nothing. I almost fall of the metal disk I'm standing on. My tongue is gone.

Confined is the word. Everything I want to say is in my head, locked away. I can't call for help. Nothing.

_My tongue! It's gone! _A girl's voice shrieks in my head. I revolve around my disk, seeing the other redheaded people. There are 23 others. 11 other identical boys and 12 identical girls. We're all positioned in a perfect circle. We're all equidistant from a golden horn. A name for it wants to surface. In fact, this whole place has a familiar air to it. Why can't I pull it up?

The seconds are counting down. _45, 44, 43, 42..._

Then I hear a scream for real. It's to my far left. Then an explosion follows. Everyone jumps but our feet don't leave the disk. Did the girl get shot for making a sound? Nonetheless, a metal disk is destroyed. The surrounding earth is torn up. The girl's few remains are the only evidence that she was even here.

_30, 29, 28... _I look ahead at the golden horn. At the mouth are all kinds of items. Backpacks, food, and weapons. Weapons everywhere. But from as far as I can remember (which goes back about 30 seconds), I've never had an experience with archery or swords. More importantly, _who _are these weapons supposed to kill? I look around. These people, these _tributes, _are our competition.

Tributes! That's what we are! But who are we tributes _for_?

There's about 10 seconds left. Everyone is eyeing the golden horn like it's their salvation. They've got this look on their face. A mix between beast and death, a look both the boys and girls share. But it's not until a gong sounds that I, too, feel a rush of excitement. And danger. These tributes are my competitors.

_Let the games begin,_ I think.And in the far reaches of my mind, I feel that I'm not too far off from the truth.


	2. Bad Blood

The girl's explosion holds no one back from sprinting to the supplies. And surprisingly enough, I keep my legs when I run. But I staggered a bit, putting me behind the others. I propel myself forward, trying to catch up. But some tributes have already arrived.

A slanted-eyed woman bursts out of the crowd first. In her hands is a scythe. Attached to a tall pole is a wickedly sharp blade. I maneuver out of her war path as she swings it back and forth. I see a man charging straight at her. He must think he can tackle her down and swipe her weapon. He's fatally mistaken.

The woman swings the scythe lowly and cuts both his legs off from the knees down. He yells out and collapses like a chopped up scarecrow. While she is chopping off his hands, a teenage girl jumps her from behind. This leaves the man to bleed out. And scream.

This whole time I'm observing this while covering the top of my head. As I look around, most people are struggling over the same supplies. That's not my plan. I spot a dark backpack sitting a short distance from me. With my eyes on a target, I dash for it.

A clash of someone's emotions and my own make me run wobbly. Who is the girl that I hear in my head? I so just want it to all go quiet. Maybe if she dies, I'll be granted that wish.

I don't have time to curse myself for those thoughts. I'm coming up on the backpack now. Just as my fingers slip underneath the handle, someone spiky gets a grip on my arm. It's like some deadly string. All it takes is one powerful pull and I'm staggering to the ground.

Blood flows down from the wound of the spikes. And they just continue to dig deeper and deeper. I look up to see my attacker. He's chalk-white with red hair that's cut down to the scalp. Apparently his "gift" came with some matching gloves. They're leather and black. And with so much evil going around, that's all I see in his eyes. Black nothingness that hungers for my death.

I struggle against the bind but he seems to pull me closer regardless. Desperately, I try to grab the backpack. It might just have something I need. But it's only a matter of time before someone sees me helpless on the ground. What better target than myself?

Suddenly, a gleaming object comes flying at my attacker. Even if I weren't muted, I wouldn't warn him that it's aiming for his head. But miraculously, he catches what looks like a boomerang in his hand. His mocking grin disappears when blades strike out from the boomerang. And with his grip gone, I release myself and look for my savior.

She's a teenager like myself. Her red hair is tied back and she has freckles. When are eyes meet, I know we're feeling the same emotion. Fear. Fear for each other's lives. I give her a nod and grab the backpack.

Looking around, I see the violence is diminishing. A couple of tributes are running into the woods. And others are still wrestling and going deeper into the golden horn. It's a risk but I'm sure there's better stuff in there.

I want to search my backpack but I know it's too soon. Someone could be aiming at _my _head now. Just in case, I hike the backpack up to cover the back of my neck and head. I get out of the circumference of the metal disks and now have the bloodbath behind me. But before I retreat into the woods, the sun becomes blocked out.

This actually stops the fighting. All eyes are on the shadowed disk. It's completely quiet. Until there's buzzing. Buzzing everywhere.

A dark cloud is descending from above. The sound of buzzing is louder than any scream. And then, like a bomb, the cloud drops down right on the golden horn.


	3. Mosquito Muttations

The buzzing insects explode in a frenzy on the tributes. They immediately get what they have and run off. I take one last look at the golden horn. There's several bodies, including the man who lost his legs. And before the insects notice me, I flee into the forest.

I zoom through the forest with death in my ears. Even as I distance myself further from the bloodbath, the insane buzzing follows me. It's not as loud but sounds just as lethal. My memories fight for my attention as they try to show themselves. Looking over my shoulder, I see that they're large mosquitos. But what's so special about mosquitos? And since when do mosquitos work in a swarm like lotus eaters?

I duck under branches and try to shake them off. I don't want to risk swatting them away. I'm gonna need every drop of blood I've got to survive this. I start looking for a place to hide. There's a big tree with an opening where the roots are. I'm not too big (so I guess I never got that much to eat) so I should fit. But I shrug off the backpack just in case. And just as I approach it, I slide underneath it and become surrounded in darkness.

There's more buzzing outside the tree. But as minutes roll by, the mosquitos leave me be. For now.

I hold my wound outside the tree to see its' condition. The spikes had dug deep but not to the bone. I rush out to retrieve my backpack and check out its' contents.

Like a magic hat, I reach my hand in the dark and pull out a flashlight. I flick it on just in case. For once, who ever had put us here, had made it just a bit easier.

There is a bottle of water, some bandages, some cheese and crackers, and... an envelope? Shining the flashlight on it, I tear open the envelope and a folded piece of paper is inside. At least I didn't forget how to read.

**Who are you? You don't know. Do we know who you are? Yes but it isn't important. But your sacrifice will save Panem. Thank you. And happy Hunger Games! **

_Save Panem? _What is there to save? The Capitol runs our nation of Panem and holds complete control over the 12 districts. They even have so much control to take two children from each district and... that's it. I've drawn a blank. That note awakened a piece of information. What is the Capitol doing with us? I read over the note repeatedly, my eyes always returning to two words: Hunger Games.

After bandaging my wound, I preserve the batteries and sit in the darkness. More than anything, I want to contact that girl with the boomerang. We held a mutual fear for each other. That sounds like a recipe for an alliance. Or maybe a fatal trick.

Suddenly, a sound even louder than the mosquitos comes from outside. I peek out of my hiding place but can't see it through the trees. But if my guess is correct, there's an aircraft outside.

I bolt out from underneath the tree, not bothering to take the backpack with me. I can see the top of some trees being pushed back. Now I'm sure it's some helicopter coming to rescue us. Can it be all over this quickly? I wonder if the girl has felt my excitement; has wandered out as well. All I can hope is that she's not dead.

I finally return to the bloodbath with the golden horn has a definite landmark. An enormous metal hovercraft is using a deadly looking claw to pick up the corpses. The sharp talons stab the body in the chest and pull it up. What would they want with dead bodies? I hope whoever's inside has a ladder too.

I wave my arms like an idiot, aggravated that I can't scream. I clap and jump up and down. But the windshield is blacked out. They _have _to see me. It may just be my only ticket home. Please see me! I couldn't be a sacrifice (something I still didn't understand) for the country. I just want to go home. Tears of frustration are running down my face. The last corpse is being retrieved. These are my last few seconds.

_Help us! _I scream in my head. _Please somebody help us! _

But then, like someone did hear me, a guy comes out of the bushes.

We stare across the clearing. We're both unarmed. He looks out of breath, like he was running for his life. Just like me, we see this hovercraft as a lifeline. Maybe they'd take us both.

Just when I think the giant aircraft is about to take off, something on the bottom of it opens. A mace, shining from the sun above, is floating down on a parachute. On the parachute says two eerie words: **Only One. **

Me and the boy run for it before the weapon even hits the ground.


	4. Blood and Parachutes

I know I don't have the guts to kill him. I'm too afraid of my situation to have someone's blood on my hands. This boy has the mindset that this is some battle to the death event. Could that be why our tongues are missing? To keep quiet of country's secrets? Well, maybe it is but there's a bigger picture. Our country is falling apart. And somehow we're the solution.

The boy dives for the weapon just inches before it touches the grass. I kick the mace out of his reach. He doesn't even want to waste his time with me. He wants me dead.

I wish so hard that I had the note in my pocket. Then he would know that killing me wouldn't solve anything. The hovercraft is long gone, leaving us to fight over it. We both walked into their trap. I'm just lucky that he didn't have a weapon already.

I start to run for the mace but his fingers grab my ankles. I fall on my hands and knees. I reach behind to free myself but then I'm pulled into a full-on fight. We roll around in the grasses, getting in as many hits as possible. I bust his nose and he hits my jaw. He has me pinned down by the throat now. I wish so desperately that my voice will return. But it's all just useless thinking.

And then someone joins us. A dark-skinned woman runs out of the bushes. Just from look at her and I can tell she's been bitten by a mosquito. Her elbow has swelled up immensely. The conflicted look in her eyes tells me that she's fighting something. She wants to scratch it so bad.

Even with her shaking arms, she pulls off the parachute and grips the mace. It doesn't seem heavy to her, considering her muscular arms. But then her eyes set on the boy and I.

_Get off! _I want to scream. I shake like a frightened animal and nod to the approaching girl. She's coming closer. And so is death. And then all the weight on my body is gone. Rubbing my sore throat, I look where my attacker has gone.

The woman slams him on the ground with has much force as a machine. Her strength probably rivals that metal claw. The boy is on his stomach, face in the grass. But I can see his body rise and fall slowly. He's trying to play dead. But the woman is backing off. In fact, she raises the mace way above her head. I want to warn him to run. And then the mace comes down on his skull.

Like a bomb, blood explodes from his skull. And she repeatedly strikes him. His body shakes a bit with each blow but I know he's dead and gone. All I hear is the woman's animal growls. And just when I think the violence is over, she drops the bloody mace and falls to the ground. The boy's blood irritated her mosquito bite. And her fingers are scratching in a frenzy. She's digging up blood.

I get to my feet and look at the mace. It's a few feet away from her. And I need a weapon. But as I reach down to take it, the woman looks up at me. Her eyes are frightened. But so am I. So I take the weapon and I dash back into the forest.


	5. The Jabberjay Message

Just the slouching of my shoulders and arms tells me that this mace wasn't made specifically for me. I can keep it from tearing the grass as I run but not lift it over my shoulder. The image of that woman burns itself in my mind. Her insane scratching, the mosquito bite only getting worse. These mosquitoes are monsters. So I jot that down in my head. Buzzing equals insane scratching and large lumps. Got it.

And then suddenly, something flies in my face. The strength to lift the mace comes in an instant. My body instantly believes that it's the mosquitoes, coming to get a sip of my blood. I hit a couple of the flying creatures with the mace. But upon the blow, I hear a bird screech. And then I realize they're not the monstrous mosquitoes at all.

_Jabberjays, _I recall. I stop swinging the mace but the birds are already flying away. But they repeat a message. _Run. Run. Run. Run. _Now I want to kill them so they'll hush. My foot catches on a stray root and I take a hard fall.

I cover my ears until their warnings fade with the flapping of their wings. Looking around, I see a few dead jabberjays. They're nothing but clumps of feathers and broken bones. But there's got to be some meat to them. So I pick several of them up and continue walking.

When I arrive at my hiding place, it looks untouched. Night is starting to set it too. And I don't hear any buzzing so I decide to take my stuff outside. But I'm a short distance just in case. I look at my pathetic food in my hands. There's no way I'm going to eat this. I don't even know how to make a fire. So I just sit, hoping that hunger leaves me be.

I reach into my backpack and read the note again. It's still the same message. I want to tear it up I'm so mad. But it may just be a clue.

_"Hunger Games? What are Hunger Games?" _a girl's voice wonders. I realize it's the girl from the bloodbath. Surprisingly, this mind link isn't the most strangest of my problems. But if we do have a mental link, maybe I can communicate with her.

_"I don't understand any of this either," _I think as loudly as I can in my thoughts. But the name "Hunger Games" just rings as an endless taunt, reminding us that hunger is one of our enemies.

Her fear pierces my mind. It takes a few minutes for her emotions to settle so she can form words. _"Y-you're the voice I've heard from." _

_"I was thinking the same thing." _She doesn't seem at all amused with my joke. Of course this isn't the time or place.

_"No, it was kind of funny. I just don't care now." _

_"What's your name?" _

_"Thalia," _she replies. _"And you're Seamus, right?" _

_"Cyrus," _I correct. _"Have you been bitten by a mosquito?" _I know my fear for her is oozing from my thoughts.

_"I almost was. But I found a river to hide in. I'm guessing you escaped them too?" _

_"I did. Did you get a note?" _

_"The only thing I've got is my boomerang from the bloodbath. I did pick some apples from around the surrounding area though. But a flock of talking birds attacked me. And they kept saying: Happy Hunger Games." _

_"They're called jabberjays. They attacked me too. But they kept telling me to run," _I explain.

_"Those birds are smart," _Thalia says. I can almost see her grin.

_"We need to stick together. I'll try to find you." _She does have the better resources. I can only hope that she wants a companion. But if we could speak telepathically, it must mean something. I'm sure of it.

Before she can answer, a loud boom sounds off in the sky. In shock, we drop the mind link. I look pass the canopies of the trees to see the dark sky. The dead are looking down at us.


End file.
